In Hollywood, director-producer couples are not the norm. Most top Hollywood directors, unlike Murphy, often double as producers, boasting extraordinary intelligence and emotional quotients, capable of handling both content and finances.
These directors typically don't have long-term partners, embodying Hollywood's hedonistic side. They avoid stable relationships and aren't interested in smart, capable women; they prefer attractive, well-endowed, and sexually skilled companions. Other qualities don't matter much.
Directors' spouses in Hollywood vary greatly.
For instance, James Cameron, who recently created a sensation with "Avatar," has chosen strong, formidable women as his wives.
His first wife was another truck driver, whom he married while he was a truck driver.
His second wife was a strong-minded producer.
His third wife was the six-foot-tall, stronger-than-average Kathryn Bigelow.
His fourth wife was the super-muscular Linda Hamilton.
His fifth wife was Suzy Amis.
Even though his last wife stayed at home after marrying him, she had a fighter pilot's license, making her equally formidable.
James Cameron might seem like a playboy and an irresponsible husband, but marriage is personal, and outsiders have no right to judge. Besides, Cameron maintains good relationships with his ex-wives. Every Christmas, he spends time at Linda Hamilton's house in Malibu, where all his ex-wives and their children gather.
Imagine: a female truck driver, a female producer, two actresses, a female director... all spending Christmas with James Cameron. What a sight!
Just like all Hollywood stars, top directors' lives are diverse.
Roman Polanski's second wife, a beauty, was killed by religious fanatics while pregnant.
Alfred Hitchcock remained married to his first wife until the end.
Federico Fellini, though married only once, had numerous scandals.
Quentin Tarantino had an affair with Uma Thurman, leading to her divorce from Ethan Hawke.
Gal Gadot gradually closed her eyes, her mind wandering. She recalled how she initially hesitated to accept Murphy's pursuit, partly because of concerns about his Hollywood director status. People had warned her that dating a famous director meant an unstable relationship unless she was irreplaceable. They advised her to avoid it if she preferred stability.
They also said that dating a director meant understanding their grueling, 24/7 work schedule. Marrying or dating a director would change her life forever. Famous directors might appear as geniuses under the spotlight, but they were childlike at heart, retaining their innocence to make movies.
A director's wife needed to be a happy homemaker outwardly and a virtuous lady at home, managing the director's daily life, enduring his bad temper, and appearing grateful and protective of his reputation. She had to turn a blind eye to his infidelities and manage the household alone.
Fortunately, Gal Gadot hadn't let these rumors affect her. She chose Murphy and now enjoyed a happy life.
She knew everything they had was hard-earned.
Hollywood offered too many temptations. The more famous the director, the greater the temptations. Some actresses would go to any lengths to climb up.
For example, Milla Jovovich was married to Luc Besson during "The Fifth Element" and to Paul Anderson during "Resident Evil."
Gal Gadot understood that having some power in Murphy's crew allowed her to prevent such scenarios to some extent.
After a few days of rest, Gal Gadot dove back into work. Having graduated from UCLA, she no longer had academic distractions. While Murphy focused on writing scripts and project plans, she frequently met with Kara Faith and people from 20th Century Fox to discuss the new project's specifics.
She also monitored Ross's case, ensuring Murphy didn't get too involved.
If Murphy ever considered using illegal means, she would stop him at all costs.
She wouldn't let anyone or anything destroy her family, even if it meant using some tactics.
Fortunately, after some time, she saw that Murphy, as always, knew what could and couldn't be done, which reassured her.
With a luxurious legal team assembled, Murphy returned his focus to scriptwriting. After two revisions of the script outline, he gathered a writing team, just as he had for past projects, to collaborate on the detailed script. This time, instead of film writers, he recruited three writers from "Game of Thrones," who had assisted George R. R. Martin.
As initially planned, the new script wouldn't follow the traditional three-act structure but would instead create and resolve conflicts like a TV series.
These writers weren't newcomers; they were somewhat renowned in the industry. To attract them, Murphy promised they would be credited as screenwriters on the film.
For writers at their level, this was a significant lure.
While preparing the crew and planning, Murphy closely followed Ross's case.
With extensive media coverage, the case had spread worldwide, making it impossible to suppress entirely. As time passed, it entered the judicial process.
The legal team closely monitored every move by the police and prosecution, ready to exploit any judicial loopholes.
Jailbreaking was out of the question. Murphy could only help Ross within the legal framework.
However, reports from Robert indicated a grim situation. Due to the case's visibility and the immense pressure, not only the LAPD but also the FBI had become involved. The prosecution gathered more and more evidence against Ross.
But the legal team remained undaunted, confident they could drag out the case and prevent Ross from receiving the death penalty.
For Murphy, ensuring Ross's survival was paramount. Only then could they consider further actions.
Meanwhile, the LAPD and FBI jointly eradicated the Vietnamese influence in Chinatown, significantly improving downtown Los Angeles's safety.
As May 2010 approached, Murphy set aside his worries to attend the premiere of Robert Downey Jr.'s "Iron Man 2," marking the beginning of the summer blockbuster season with a Marvel superhero film.
"Iron Man 2" grossed over $128 million in its opening weekend in North America. Although it fell short of "Batman v Superman's" opening, it was highly anticipated, especially for its better reception and broader audience appeal compared to "Batman v Superman."
Moreover, "Iron Man," a once third-rate superhero, nearly matched the box office performance of a film featuring both Superman and Batman. Marvel Studios had achieved remarkable success.
Many in Hollywood recognized that Marvel superhero films were on a positive trajectory, while DC superhero films had lost their way.
Seeing this, Murphy sighed at the limited power of an individual. Despite giving DC superhero films a glorious start with careful planning and an earlier release, Warner Bros. and DC Comics' internal decisions led them back to their old ways.
A director could change a film but couldn't overhaul an entire studio.
During "Iron Man 2's" premiere weekend, "The Wolf of Wall Street" also ended its international run. After over six months in theaters, boosted by multiple Oscar nominations, it grossed over $500 million worldwide, ending at $512.57 million.
20th Century Fox promptly transferred Murphy's share of the profits to Stanton Studio.
Simultaneously, 20th Century Fox also paid Murphy for the film's DVD, TV rights, and online rental revenue.
By May, "The Wolf of Wall Street" had earned Murphy over $100 million before taxes.
Professional experts handled the tax and avoidance issues, sparing Murphy from much hassle. After over a month of writing and planning, the new project's script and plan were ready. Gal Gadot submitted them to 20th Century Fox for the necessary review process.
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